Golf practice mat



' GOLF PRACTICE MAT Filed July 19, 1955 5 INVENTOR:

CH QRLES R. HOAG dugpkaw ATT'YS United States Patent 2,790,640 GOLFPRACTICE MAT Charles R. Hoag, Glenview, Ill.', assignor to Flexi-MatCorporation, Chicago, 11]., a corporation of Illinois Application July19, 1955, Serial No. 523,044

4 Claims. (Cl. 27333) The main objects of this invention are to providean improved brush construction; to provide an improvedbrush constructionwhich simulates turf and, therefore, is usable especially for practicinggolf iron shots, to provide improved means for securing the bristlesin'place on a mounting'base which permits facile assembly of the brushand replacement of sections of bristles that become damaged orexcessively worn; to provide an improved form of bristle-mounting baseespecially adapted for use in conjunction with a standard mat commonlyused for teeing up golf balls for practice wood shots; and to provide animproved brush construction of this kind which,

by reason of its simple and practical structure, is extremely Fig. 3 isa further enlarged, fragmentary, cross-sectional view taken on the line33 of Fig. 2.

The essential concept of this invention involves a series of bristlesclamped between the nearly-parallel parts of U-shaped metal strips, aplurality of which bristle-supporting strips are slidably supportedbetween pairs of rows of opposedly-staggered lugs struck up from a metalmounting base, the brush being adapted especially for setting into aconforming opennig in a golf practice mat.

A brush 4 embodying the foregoing concept comprises, a base 5 from oneface of which are struck up pairs of parallel rows of lugs 6 betweenwhich are slidably seated U-shaped elements 7 wherein are clampedbristles 8, the brush 4 being operatively positionable on a golfdriving-range mat 9.

The base 5 preferably is a sheet-metal plate of rectangular formdimensioned slightly larger than an opening 10 in the mat 9, for reasonsthat will appear presently.

The lugs 6 are struck up from one face of the base 5 in pairs ofparallel rows disposed preferably lengthwise of the base 5. As is mostapparent from Fig. 2, alternate lugs 6, in a pair of rows, are sostamped out as to permit being bent up in opposite directions, thusstaggering the lugs 6 along each row.

The lugs 6, when bent up, are not quite perpendicular to the face of thebase 5. Thus the lugs along opposite sides of each row are inclinedtoward each other slightly. For this reason, the lugs 6, in theirrelative angularity, conform to the slightly-out-of-parallelrelationship of the parts 11 of the bristle-supporting elements 7 (seeFig. 3).

These rows of lugs terminate inwardly of the perimeter of the base 5 andthe elements 7 are of a length less than the length of the base 5, sothat the rectangular Patented Apr. '30, 1957 "ice.

Also, it should be noted that in each of the rows of lugs 6, the spacingbetween the pair of directly-opposed lugs, that is, those which areoppositely struck up from the face of the base 5, generally is greaterthan the spacing between the lugs of a pair.

The bristle-supporting elements 7 are strips of sheetmetal bent toU-snaped form. The bristles 8 are doubled around rods 12and seated inthe base of the elements 7, with theends of the parts 11 pressed towardeach other to firmly clamp the bristles 8 in place. As shown at 13, inFig. 2, when desired, the edges of the parts 11 may be crimped inwardlyto further secure the bristles in place on the respective elements 7.

As will be most evident from Fig. 2, the bristle-supporting elements areslid endwise into place between the pairs of rows of staggeredly-opposedlugs 6, which lugs firmly anchor'the elements in place with the ends ofthe bristles 8 closely disposed to each other in a plane parallel withthat of the base 5. Should the bristles 8 of a series,

this form has been designed especially for use with mats 9--'of the typeemployed on golf-driving-ranges for use in teeing up balls forpracticing wood shots.

As already explained, the brush 4 has its base and bristle arrangementso relatively dimensioned that the brush may be set in the mat opening10. (See Fig. 1.) The perimetrical portions of the mat 9, defining theopening 10, overlay the perimetrical portions of the base 5 outwardly ofthe bristles 8. The base 5 being comparatively thin, makes noappreciable upward displacing of the mat 9 and the bristles 8 extendabove the surface of the mat 9 just about as the grass is disposed abovethe surface of the ground on a well-kept fairway.

Such a mat and brush combination thus makes it possible for practicingeither tee wood shots or iron shots from a simulated turf.

Although but one specific embodiment of this invention is herein shownand described, it will be understood that numerous details of theconstruction shown may be altered or omitted without departing from thespirit of the invention as defined by the following claims.

I claim:

1. A golf-ball driving device including a mat and a ball-supportingbrush, the mat being formed and dimensioned to support a golfer andhaving a transverse rectangular opening formed therein intermediate oneend of the mat and its transverse median, the brush comprising arectangular-shaped base of greater width and length than the matopening, a plurality of bristle-retaining elements each of a lengthsubstantially equal to the length of the mat opening, the elements beingsecured to the base with the ends of the elements located inwardly fromthe opposite ends of the base and with the opposite exterior-mostlateral elements spaced apart a distance substantially equal to thewidth of the mat opening, the brush being set in the mat opening andretained against displacement by the perimetrical portions of the matwhich define the mat opening overlapping the four edges of the brushbase and abutting the exterior-most bristlesupporting elements.

2. A golf-ball driving device including a mat and a ball-supportingbrush, the mat being formed and dimensioned to support a golfer andhaving a transverse rectangular opening formed therein intermediate oneend of the mat and its transverse median, the brush comprising arectangular-shaped base of greater width and length than the matopening, a plurality of bristle-retaining elements each of a lengthsubstantially equal to the length of the mat opening, the elements beingsecured to the base with the ends of the elements located inwardly fromopposite 1 ends of the base and with the opposite exterionmost. a

lateral elements spaced apart a distance, substantially equal to thewidth ofthe mat topening thenbrush being. set in the mat opening andretained against displacement by the perimetrical portions of the matwhich, define, the mat opening overlapping the four edgessof the brushbase and abutting the, exterior-most bristle-supporting elements, thebristles beingv of a. length to dispose the ends thereof closelyadjacently above theplane ofmthe mat.

3. A golf-ball driving devicelineludi a mat andaballnently inclinedtoward each other, and, an equalnumber of U-shaped bristle clampingelements each having the parts thereof extending in the same, generaldirection and inclined toward each other at substantially the. sameangleas that of the lugs of the baseso, thateach V-shaped element withthe bristles clamped therein is frictionally retained inlongitudinal-sliding relationship with a transverse row of lugs, thebrush, being set, in the mat opening and retained against displacementby the perimetrical portions of the mat which define the mat, openingoverlapping the four edges of the brush base and abutting theexterior-most parts of the bristle-supporting elements.

4. A golf-ball driving device including a mat and a ball-supportingbrush, the mat being formed and dimensioned to support a golfer andhaving a transverse rectangular opening formed therein intermediate oneend of the mat and its transverse median, the brush comprising arectangular-shaped sheet-metal base having a plurality of transverserows of opposed lugs struck up from one face of the base of a height notto exceed the thickness of the mat and normally disposed at angles ofless than ninety degrees with the lugs of each transverse rowpermanently inclined toward each other, and an equal number of U-shap'edbristle-clamping elements each having the parts thereof extending in thesame general direction and inclined toward each other at substantiallythe same angle as that of the lugs of the base so that each V-shapedelement with the bristles clamped therein is frictionally retained inlongitudinal-sliding relationship with a transverse row of lugs, thebrush being set in the mat opening and retained against displacement bythe perimetrical portions of the mat which define the mat openingoverlapping the four edges of the brush base and abutting the texterior-most parts of the bristle-supporting elements,

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS MeehanMay 8, 1928 McLaughlin Feb. 9, 1954

